December 29, 2002
Chatham, MA
Stage Harbor, Chatham, MA on Cape Cod
Daily 180 degree panorama video snapshots
from Stage Harbor in Chatham, MA
Aerial View of Stage Harbor Marina
Chatham, Massachusetts is located at the southeast tip of Cape Cod. If the Cape is viewed as a bent arm, Chatham is at the elbow. To the east is the Atlantic Ocean, to the South is Nantucket Sound, to the north is Pleasant Bay. The only adjacent town (located at both the north and west town line boundaries) is Harwich.
Major geographical features of the Town are hilly, wooded uplands, extensive barrier beaches and spits, harbors, numerous small estuaries, and salt and freshwater ponds.
Mainland features are the result of glacial action during the last Ice Age and consist of ridges, knobs (hills), outwash plains, and kettles (depressions and ponds). Several ponds formed by melting glacial ice have become salt ponds because of rising sea levels. The Town’s coastal dunes and beaches have been formed through thousands of years of erosion of scarps (cliffs) and movement of the material from the north and west.
Strong Island in Pleasant Bay marks the Town’s northern boundary. Morris and Stage Islands mark the extent of developed area on the south. The Red River is the boundary on the west and the Muddy Creek (or Monomoy River) on the northwest. The highest point (131 feet) in Chatham is "Great Height", long a landmark for vessels offshore.
December 27, 2002
Old Saybrook, CT
TeleCAM - Saybrook Point - Old Saybrook, CT
Live 180 degree panorama view from
Saybrook Point - Old Saybrook, CT
A large part of the appeal of the Old Saybrook area is the gentleness of scenery in all seasons of the year. It remains a popular vacation center offering a number of attractions, including beaches, marinas and the Fort Saybrook Monument Park.
For those on the antiques trail, we have more than 400 merchants, from large dealers to small private shops, where you are sure to find something special.
When fall blows in, there is no need to go north to enjoy the foliage; it's splendid right here in Old Saybrook! No matter what the season, visitors love the quiet lifestyle and many attractions.
OLD SAYBROOK, Conn. (AP) Katharine Hepburn has said bye-bye to New York City she's found her golden pond in Connecticut.
"She'll never go back to New York. She has a good setup at her family home here," her brother-in-law, Ellsworth Grant, said Wednesday.
The 89-year-old actor, the winner of four Academy Awards during a 60-year career, recently put her Manhattan brownstone up for rent, and she's been enjoying looking out at the water at her coastal Connecticut retreat.
She has no life-threatening diseases but "has the disease of old age," Grant said.
"She walks a little, talks a little. Her memory is pretty much gone," he said. "She could live like she is for five years or more or she could die tomorrow."
Hepburn, who starred in The African Queen, On Golden Pond and numerous other films, has had various health problems in the last decade, including hip replacement surgery, arthritis and an incurable eye infection.
Roche Harbor, WA
San Juan Islands, Washington, 24 hour live coverage! Island Cam and Ferry Cam.
Roche Harbor, a seaside village on San Juan Island's secluded northwest coastline, is an artful blend of historical ambiance, scenery, hospitality, and visitor amenities. A vibrant marina hosts yachts from around the world, while the Victorian gardens and quaint chapel lure wedding parties in search of the perfect setting.
The live views above are being
The live views above are being enjoyed now by guests in the charming Hotel de Haro and luxurious McMillin Suites. A visit to Roche Harbor is certain to be a cherished highlight of your journey to the San Juans. Click here to start planning your visit.
The fun starts here! Roche Harbor is ideally situated amidst a wondrous natural environment. Orca whales frequently cruise just minutes from the dock.
San Juan Safaris, with 30 years experience, offers eco-tours from Roche Harbor including guided whale watch cruises, sea kayak tours, and trips to Victoria, B.C. Click here to start your adventure.
Travel to Roche Harbor
Roche Harbor is 10 miles from the Friday Harbor ferry terminal. Shuttle Van service from Friday Harbor to Roche Harbor is available seasonally on San Juan Transit. Daily seaplane service from Seattle to Roche Harbor is offered year round on Kenmore Air.
Roche Harbor Specials
Marine Adventure Package, $269 plus tax, includes a three-hour whale watch tour or kayak trek (no experience necessary) from our Marine Adventure Center (operated by San Juan Safaris), overnight accommodations for two in a historic Hotel de Haro suite or one-bedroom condo, plus breakfast or lunch for two in the Lime Kiln Cafe ($20 voucher).
Premium Marine Adventure Package, $349 plus tax, includes a three-hour whale watch tour or kayak trek (no experience necessary) from our Marine Adventure Center (operated by San Juan Safaris), overnight accommodations for two in a luxurious McMillin Suite, plus breakfast or lunch for two in the Lime Kiln Cafe ($20 voucher).
Questions? Or, to make reservations call 1-800-451-8910, or visit our website at www.rocheharbor.com.
December 23, 2002
Corpus Christi, TX
Sailcorpus.com: Live shot of Corpus Christi Bay
This is the view from the offices of Farenthold Consulting, LLC in One Shoreline Plaza.
You are looking at Shoreline Drive, Corpus Christi Bay, and the T-Head Marina's.
This page should update automatically every minute or
December 22, 2002
Monterey Bay, CA
Elephant Seals in Monterey Bay, California.
CALIFORNIA SEA LION
Zalophus californianus
meaning of Latin name: with crest and of California
DESCRIPTION: California sea lions are known for their intelligence, playfulness, and noisy barking. Their color ranges from chocolate brown in males to a lighter, golden brown in females. Males may reach 1,000 lbs. (more often 850 lbs., or 390 kg) and seven feet (2.1 m) in length. Females grow to 220 lbs. (110 kg) and up to six feet (1.8 m) in length. They have a "dog-like" face, and at around five years of age, males develop a bony bump on top of their skull called a sagittal crest. The top of a male's head often gets lighter with age. These members of the otariid or walking seal family have external ear flaps and large flippers that they use to "walk" on land. The trained "seals" in zoos and aquariums are usually California sea lions.
RANGE/HABITAT: California sea lions are found from Vancouver Island, British Columbia to the southern tip of Baja California in Mexico. They breed mainly on offshore islands, ranging from southern California's Channel Islands south to Mexico, although a few pups have been born on Año Nuevo and the Farallon Islands in central California. There is a distinct population of California sea lions at the Galapagos Islands. A third population in the Sea of Japan became extinct, probably during World War II.
BEHAVIOR: California sea lions are very social animals, and groups often rest closely packed together at favored haul-out sites on land, or float together on the ocean's surface in "rafts." They are sometimes seen porpoising, or jumping out of the water, presumably to speed up their swimming. Sea lions have also been seen "surfing" breaking waves. California sea lions are opportunistic eaters, feeding on squid, octopus, herring, rockfish, mackerel, and small sharks. In turn, sea lions are preyed upon by Orcas (killer whales) and great white sharks.
MATING AND BREEDING: Most pups are born in June or July and weigh 13-20 lbs. (6-9 kg). They nurse for at least five to six months and sometimes over a year. Mothers recognize pups on crowded rookeries through smell, sight, and vocalizations. Pups also learn to recognize the vocalizations of their mothers. Breeding takes place a few weeks after birth. Males patrol territories and bark almost continuously during the breeding season.
STATUS: Their population is growing steadily, and California sea lions can be seen in many coastal spots such as Seal Rock or PIER 39 in San Francisco. The current population is approximately 200,000.
AT THE MARINE MAMMAL CENTER: Each year, many California sea lions are treated at The Marine Mammal Center. Sea lions are known to have such diseases as pneumonia, caused by a parasitic lungworm, and a bacterial infection called leptospirosis, which affects their livers and kidneys. In 1998 and again in 2000, large numbers of sea lions were treated for domoic acid poisoning, a condition caused by harmful algal blooms which causes the animals to have seizures. Other problems for California sea lions involve humans. Sea lions have been found illegally shot and also caught in drift or gill nets and other marine debris. Between January 1986 and September 1998, 7.5% of all the seals and sea lions treated by The Marine Mammal Center had human-related injuries. The majority of these incidents involved California sea lions.
December 21, 2002
Wellington, NZ
Wellington Views - Live Webcams: Porirua Harbour WebCam
Porirua Harbour
Description:
This view looks south from Mana to Porirua Harbour. Porirua is a city in the north west of the Wellington region.
Updated:
Every 5 minutes.
Note: This image does not automatically refresh, you need to click Refresh on your browser to update the image.
December 17, 2002
Eagle Harbor, MI
EagleHarborcam.com - Eagle Harbor, Michigan
Aloha!
Web-Cam View from the Aloha Tower Office
This image is updated every minute, 24 hours a day
December 14, 2002
Lake Nacimiento, CA
With over 165 miles of tree lined shoreline and hundreds of small, secluded coves to explore, you and your family are sure to enjoy the scenic beauty of Lake Nacimiento.
Nacimiento was built in the 1950s by Monterey County, even though it is located in San Luis Obispo County. It was built for flood control and to provide farmers in the Salinas Valley good summertime water. Naciniento is a recreational mecca. With 163 miles of shoreline, there are many fingers and coves to explore, and to retreat to from the water skiers. Nacimiento is surrounded by oak wooded hills. In the spring, back in the Narrows, there are some shear granite cliffs, rising straight up out of the water with waterfalls cascading down them. If you haven't been back there to see this, you should make plans to do so. Nacimiento draws people from all over the state. Most come for boating and water skiing. At times, during the hot summer months, fishing can be disturbed by the amount of boating traffic. It can be very dangerious at times, so be carefull. Regulating the amount of boats on the lake would be difficult, as there are many private communities located on the lake, each with their own boat launch. Despite the disruption caused by the heavy summertime boat traffic, Nacimiento offers some great fishing.
December 13, 2002
Loch Ness
Loch Ness Web Cam
Loch Ness Investigation Bureau (LNIB) were active during the 1960’s and early 1970’s and a large team of dedicated individuals kept a more or less constant vigil over the loch. Many photographs were taken of strange anomalies in the water and some of the video evidence has still not been explained.
Loch Ness plunges to a depth of over 250m (750 feet) and the crushing pressure and pitch black water has made investigation by diving more or less impossible. Nevertheless, one or two submarines have paid a visit to the bottom but have failed to locate comprehensive proof of a large monster.
Over the years hundreds of witnesses have come forward with tales of what they have seen in or around the loch. Classic evidence includes stories of upturned boats and serpent-like necks twisting up out of the water.
Sadly, some Loch Ness researchers now seek to debunk the possibility of unknown monsters living beneath the loch. But their evidence must be placed in context, particularly as some of the loudest debunkers are not qualified scientists. Some are formally unqualified people with their own pet theories, which they wish to see accepted by the public at large. Certainly, this website believes that a great deal of evidence exists in favour of the existence of a Loch Ness Monster phenomenon.
Loch Ness is a vast and beautiful body of water. Good books about Loch Ness are available and this website suggests that visitors consider saving their money and bypassing Historic Scotland’s rip-off Urquhart Castle (now greatly spoiled by commercial development) and stop at one of the many free lay-bys available along the A82 Inverness – Fort William Road. From these points, you can witness the beauty of Loch Ness first hand,and, armed with a good book, you can interpret the evidence and the mysteries for yourself. Look out for our new Loch Ness boat cam and underwater webcam
December 12, 2002
Lopez Island, WA
San Juan Islands, Washington, 24 hour live coverage! Island Cam and Ferry Cam.
Welcome to Fisherman Bay on Lopez Island ...the friendly island. This view looks west from Islands Marine Center with Lopez Island in the distance. Thanks to the friendly folks at Island House Realtors for sponsoring this image.
Jewel of the San Juans
Third largest of the San Juan Islands, Lopez Island is about 29 square miles in area with a year round population of 2,000.
Each of the San Juan Islands is different from the others both in topography and "personality". Lopez is the least populated of the three major islands and known as the friendliest . Its relatively flat terrain is popular with bicyclists who enjoy riding by the fields of fat cows, and wooly sheep, bordered by pleasant woodlands with their lurking deer, raccoons and rabbits.
Many of the island residents are here simply because Lopez is an unusually pleasant and friendly place to live; and they show it with their Lopez "WAVE" to friend and visitor alike. They are people who realize the priceless value of such a beautiful environment.
Whether it is the pleasant climate with only 22 inches of rain a year, and about 50 more days of sunshine than the Seattle area, the quiet country living, or the scenic beauty of the island, you will find something here you may have been missing. Come see for yourself !
COMMUNITY CENTER
Most community services are located in quiet Lopez Village, the unincorporated "heart" of Lopez Island. It is located about 4 miles from the Ferry Landing and at the entrance channel to Fisherman Bay.
Many services are available - including restaurants, a B & B, a deli, organic foods, florist, book store, video, two espresso bars, liquor store, gift shops, clothing, art and antique shops, a well stocked market and more.
Nearby, on Fisherman Bay, is a full service boat yard/marina and a resort marina. Oh yes, we have a bank, local museum, pharmacy, medical clinic and post office. Our Lopez Community Center for the Arts includes an outdoor performance pavilion as well as the new indoor facilities. Next door is the permanent home of our summer time farmers market. Our well stocked library is housed in an old school house and a major expansion project is now completed. It provides internet access and ranks highest in per capita used in the State. Professional services include accountants, attorneys, architects, landscape architects, medical, dental and realtors.
December 11, 2002
December 10, 2002
Cape Cod, MA
Cape Cod Live Cams - Hyannis Harbor Cam - West
Hyannis Harbor Cam - West
December 09, 2002
Monterey, CA
The camera and server itself are located at the top of Seaside CA. and pointing back across the bay towards Monterey/Pacific Grove. Many locals will tell you that this is indeed one of the best views of the bay! We've tried other locations but this one carries the most information in one picture.
Who are we?
We're a small website whose original propose was to simply share a webcam view of one of the most beautiful places on earth and the place we call home. We also wanted to provide some additional "bits and pieces" of local information we thought our viewers would find interesting from a native's point of view.
How long have we been around?
Montereycam.com.com was unofficially launched back in the Summer of 1998.
Where are we?
The camera and server itself are located at the top of Seaside CA. and pointing back across the bay towards Monterey/Pacific Grove. Many locals will tell you that this is indeed one of the best views of the bay! We've tried other locations but this one carries the most information in one picture.
Why isn't the picture live?
The webcam is live in the sense that it's showing the weather for any given day but in terms of full motion or streaming video the answer is simply this - there wouldn't be anything to look at. You might see a bird or cloud pass by but other than that you'd find it terminally boring. Uses like that only slow the net down for everyone needlessly. In the future we may add a camera in a place with picture content that might warrant steaming video but for now the picture schedule serves it's intended purpose well enough.
What's the picture schedule?
The server boots up daily at 6AM and begins posting pictures at first available light which we set depending on the time of year. The last picture is timed for sunset. Currently, uploads are every 30 minutes.
Why is the picture old sometimes?
Sometimes the server locks up or an ftp is missed or software demons attack or the camera is temporally offline or...sorry! Since the camera is in a location that we don't always have easy access to, it sometimes takes time to get the camera back up and running.
Why is the picture hazy/blurry or other?
"Whew", this one drives us even more crazy! Many-many factors cause these conditions. Most often however the fault lay not on our end but rather Mother Nature. Coastal marine conditions are the most common reason for a hazy picture. If the picture looks gray and hazy then in Monterey it probably is. Remember that if you were standing at the camera location on a hazy, overcast day the camera's representation of the scene would make it look even worse by the time it's been digitized and sent to your browser. There are also numerous lens issues, glare from the afternoon sun, zoom factor, film build-up on the glass etc. We're always working on this issue and we hope to have some great improvements to offer in the near future.
Why do you have sporadic equipment problems.
Yes, we do have equipment problems that pop up from time to time. We try to check on the camera status a couple of times a day so it's still possible for several missed uploads to occur before problems are caught. Fortunately, the server reboots itself on a daily schedule to keep the missed uploads as few as possible. We also experience software glitches periodically just like anyone. When strange or funny looking pictures show up that's usually what's going on. It seems to pop up every few months...or when we really-really need the camera to be working.
December 08, 2002
Volvo Open
Volvo Ocean Race 2005 | Press Release
1 December 2002 -- At many points around the world, the Volvo Ocean Race fleet passes close enough to land for a film crew and stills photographer to rendezvous with them. This is their story.
At many points around the world, the Volvo Ocean Race fleet passes close enough to land for a film crew and stills photographer to rendezvous with them. Sometimes this is from the air, using a helicopter with the doors removed for filming, and microwave equipment to 'suck' video footage and interviews from the boats. At other times a boat is used, often a war ship kindly 'lent' to us for this purpose.
1 December 2002 -- At many points around the world, the Volvo Ocean Race fleet passes close enough to land for a film crew and stills photographer to rendezvous with them. This is their story.
At many points around the world, the Volvo Ocean Race fleet passes close enough to land for a film crew and stills photographer to rendezvous with them. Sometimes this is from the air, using a helicopter with the doors removed for filming, and microwave equipment to 'suck' video footage and interviews from the boats. At other times a boat is used, often a war ship kindly 'lent' to us for this purpose.
This is the story of a rendezvous with the Volvo Ocean Race fleet at the Ilha de Noronha, an island off the Brazilian coast during leg one of the 2001-2002 event. Our crew, consisting of tv director Steve Ancsell, cameraman George Johns and stills photographer Rick Tomlinson, flew down to capture images and interviews of the fleet midway through leg one.
STEVE'S STORY:
We flew on Thursday, as all flights were full after that, and without accommodation booked, we used our satellite phone to try and get into a 'hotel'. Noronha is a nature reserve and 'pousadas' (B&B's) are the only hotel accommodation. We're given a name, Esmerelda, and off we fly. On arrival, they won't let you in without accommodation, so that was useful, and we're carted off the half mile down the single track road to the series of Nissen hut shacks that make up the place we have to stay. Only one room with three beds is what we get, with cranky old air conditioning and a shower room with cockroaches everywhere. Lots of huge lizards, three feet long and toads the size of small footballs. We hire a beach buggy to get around, the only hire car available.
Down the road from our 'hotel' we find the local entertainment, a lecture room and coffee shop where they tell you all about the dolphins, whales and turtles that live here. In Brazilian Portuguese. No-one speaks a word of English, so we have to learn some Portuguese sharpish!
We make radio contact with the navy ship Goiana, and agree to meet on Sunday. Captain Cardoso spoke some English. We decide to stay ashore rather than take up his offer of living on the ship for the next six days! So off we went filming, bumping down dirt track roads in our buggy. All went well until we ran out of fuel....
The buggy faithfully bounced down a rock-strewn cobbled hill, to the 'downtown' part of the central island village and I radio the latest positions to the awaiting naval ship Goiana, and Capt Cardoso patiently waits.
It is Wednesday, 8.30 am; time to meet with the ship, and we are taken out to her in a small old rib. We are hoisted aboard, shown to the wardroom and off we go. Huge seabirds, fulmars and fork-tailed frigates, swoop over the ship playfully, trying to peck the aerials. Lunch on the ship; no one is sick so we pass the sailor's test and all is well! I am given the bunk above the Executive Officer in his cabin. George, our cameraman, was up forward with the Petty Officers and Rick, our stills photographer, was billeted in the medical room, complete with the operating cot, in which he slept, somewhat apprehensively.
Emails were sent via our own satellite uplink, the same procedure the war correspondents use in the desert, along with Rick's photographs. It all worked really well and we rolled our way north to meet the first boat at sunrise, 04.50 in the morning. After no more than a couple of hours sleep, checking positions using our satellite telephone, there was Illbruck in the early morning sunlight some 40 miles from the turning waypoint. We shadowed her for a while in our lolloping ship and then the Brazilian matelots were dispatched in a rib with our box of tricks so that we could interview the boat's skipper from the bridge of our ship. It is nice when a plan and new equipment ideas work out! We met with four more of the boats throughout that day, some 10 miles up track of the island - all of whom were really pleased to see and chat with us as they ploughed their way south.
Sunset for the fifth boat, Grant Dalton, just off the western tip of the Island and we then hauled the rib aboard for the fifth time and set off back to the little port, but without anywhere to stay. So there we were, Thursday evening, dark, on the ship's bridge with the officers trying to find us a room somewhere on a public holiday in Brazil, and nothing available. They even tried the Air Force barracks without luck. So, 15 pieces of luggage weighing 260 kgs plus the three of us, were deposited back at the little port with nowhere to go.
We loaded up the buggy with our kit, to get us to the bar, where at least we could have a beer and ponder our accommodation problem. A couple of phone calls later, all was fixed. Two rooms, no less, so we relaxed and ordered some more beer and some excellent fried fish.
Then it was off down the road in two taxis - which were also buggies - with all the luggage aboard and us hanging on, literally standing on the rear bumper to the village, up the rocky hill. It was a green, ramshackle hut with an aging old dear on the veranda who showed us into our rooms. There was a shower of sorts, a cold tap out of the wall, but at least we, and our kit, would be safe. I woke at six the next day - we had had virtually no sleep the night before at sea - with a hangover of all hangovers. It was actually dehydration. Breakfast out in the mud courtyard which consisted of nice bread cakes and melon. œ20 for all of us for the night inc breakfast.
Much later in the race, on leg five en route from Auckland to Rio de Janeiro, the same film crew took off again to one of the remotest parts of the world, Cape Horn, where they hoped to film the fleet from the air, as they rounded this famous landmark.
Cape Horn to Port, is Rick's Story
February 6, 2002: The film team sets up base in the Hotel Cabo de Hornos, Punta Arenas, Chile, 180 miles from Cape Horn. We begin by setting up our satellite transmitter, doing our on location planning and the surveys with the aircraft that will fly us to Cape Horn to photograph the Volvo boats passing, ETA February 10.
February 7: With our Nera satellite kit we track the boats via the Internet. It looks like they will be earlier than the ETA by almost 24 hours. Using our GPS (global positioning system) we calculate that the first boat, Illbruck, will pass the Horn in darkness. We cannot film in the dark, so we plan to rendezvous at first light.
February 8: We confirm to our pilots that we need to fly to Puerto Williams, the most southerly village in the world, 60 miles from the Cape, refuel, and then fly on to meet Illbruck at first light, which in this part of the world is 0630. We need to take off at 0500.
February 9: 0400, I am awake 30 seconds before the alarm goes. The gear has all been checked and packed, we are all ready. The crew for this 'sortie' is the same, Steve, George and myself, affectionately nicknamed, 'the 'A' team'. This time we are joined by Gustav Bergkvist, who will act as our translator.
0500: The airport is in total darkness, except for the lights from own Twin Otter plane as it is towed out into the night. Without talking to the tower; there's no one there, we take off. I fall asleep immediately, and I am awakened 40 minutes later with a nudge as we pass over Ushuaia, the town's lights twinkling and the snow-capped mountains beginning to glow as the first signs of daylight appear.
0600: We land at Puerto Williams, no fuel truck waiting: no surprise. After what seems like an hour, but is only 15 minutes, the truck arrives and fuel loaded. A call to Race Office in the UK, on the satellite 'phone, confirms positions and we take off immediately.
0645: Just daylight, and we pick up Illbruck, past the Horn. George and I are shooting as the plane banks tightly around the boat, Steve is talking to the boat on the VHF and up-loading video via microwave links. It all happens very fast.
0715: Back to Puerto Williams to refuel and send the pictures by the satellite 'phone back to the picture desk at Race HQ. We check in for the latest positions and we are ready to go when we discover we have a problem: Puerto Williams has run out of fuel, even though they knew we were coming. This means that the second sortie will have to be the last (we had planned on three). We decide to wait an hour for the maximum number of boats to sail in range.
0830: In the air again, looking for Amer Sport One. We pick her up perfectly under the Horn; WOW! This is why we came here. Again we upload their video and after many passes to get the shot, we get it.
0900: We are looking for News Corp; and yes, there she is, just as Steve spots Tyco. We rendezvous with News Corp and circle overhead. The pilot has got the idea now. Inside the plane, our own communications are difficult, as the doors are off for filming and it's cold and very noisy. George is at the back with all his foul weather gear on to keep warm, Steve is in the middle with the microwave and communications box, and I am up front in the co-pilot's seat with the window open so that I can shoot.
0920: We wave goodbye to News Corp, and head for Tyco, but the pilot misunderstands. Fortunately, the yellow spinnaker of Assa Abloy appears on the horizon and with Assa Abloy, we have another mission. As well as the filming, we have to drop a waterproof bag, which contains a new hand set for their Sat Com B unit. Without it, the Sat Com B is completely non-functional. Steve radios the navigator, Mark Rudiger, on the VHF. Rudiger asks if we can come back in an hour or so when the boat is in the lee of the islands. We are almost out of fuel, so we say "No, it is now, or never". "OK now", crackles Rudy and we line up a mile ahead and throw the package optimistically on their course. We are doing 120 knots at 200 feet. Will they be able to pick it up? We head for home, via Puerto Williams. As we turn, we hear Assa Abloy on the radio saying thank you, they picked up the bag! Amazing!
Annapolis
Community of sailors opens arms
Community of sailors opens arms to couple
Illness: A retired husband and wife drop anchor in Annapolis upon learning that he suffers from advanced cancer.
By Amanda J. Crawford
Sun Staff
Originally published December 7, 2002
In a sailboat at Annapolis' City Dock, Nancy and Roger Langsdale are fighting mortality.
They fight his tumors and the acute pain of stage-four cancer with chemotherapy and morphine, steamed milk and intravenous fluids.
But here, hundreds of miles from any city they have called home, the Langsdales are fighting alongside friends. Strangers have offered to do anything they can - helping to maintain the couple's 44-foot ketch Star Baby, dropping off food, finding places for visiting relatives to stay.
"We feel we have family here at this dock in Annapolis," said Roger, 57, who came here for the October boat show and discovered he had cancer when he became too sick to leave. "We couldn't imagine being in a better place."
The Langsdales have been welcomed into the close-knit community of those who spend the winter aboard their boats in the heart of downtown Annapolis. Here, they have found friends and support in a journey that has been longer, emotionally, than any ocean voyage.
"They had what they figured as their dream life left - they were planning all these things they were going to do on the boat, and in a couple weeks it has gone down the drain," said Rick Kaufmann, who lives in the powerboat docked behind them and who once sailed with Roger in Chicago. "They are just wonderful, wonderful, hopeful people."
The Langsdales have never lived in Maryland, and they didn't come here to be near family. But it was here, on what was to be a short stop for the United States Sailboat Show while on their way back to Florida, that Roger learned the pain in his side was something much worse than a kidney stone. It is here that Nancy is making funeral arrangements while Roger is holding onto the hope of each new day.
Sailing brought the couple together a decade ago when both were in their 40s and living in Chicago. Roger, a Pittsburgh native, was an experienced sailor and an assistant regional inspector general for the U.S. Department of Labor. Nancy, originally from Plymouth, Mich., was an information technology manager living year-round on her sailboat - something Roger said had always been his "fantasy."
"Roger was everything I dreamed of," said Nancy, 51, tears welling up in her eyes even as she laughs. She strokes Roger's back, hand and leg as they talk. "My first impression was 'This is my man.' This is the man I was going to marry ... from the first time I heard his voice."
Nancy had never been married. Roger was divorced and had two children. They soon moved in together aboard her sailboat, got married and moved to Philadelphia when Roger got a promotion.
On Dec. 4, 1999, they retired and left Philadelphia, setting sail for a life of cruising - going wherever they wanted on Star Baby but always remaining at home.
"Nancy and I had hopes and dreams of being able to cruise around the world - no place in particular, no set schedule," Roger said.
They sailed down the coast to Fort Lauderdale, where they spent the next year and a half outfitting their boat for their coming journeys.
This summer they sailed north again, leaving their boat in the Patapsco River as they took an "intermission" from their retirement to spend six weeks in a cabin in Michigan.
It was there in September that Roger started feeling sharp pains in his side. He went to a doctor, who diagnosed a kidney stone. When the pain didn't go away, the doctor said it was an infection and sent Roger home with antibiotics.
The Langsdales flew back to Maryland to get their boat in time for the October boat show. But Roger continued to get worse.
He was admitted to Anne Arundel Medical Center, where he had an operation to clear a blockage in his kidney. But soon they discovered that the real problem was with his colon. On Nov. 4, during an operation, doctors discovered that Roger had advanced cancer.
"The cancer had spread so rapidly and aggressively that they didn't do anything," Nancy said. "They said, 'Get your affairs in order, hug and kiss and say your goodbyes.'"
They returned to Star Baby, where virtual strangers began asking what they could do to help.
Neighbors at the dock have dropped off food - like the loaf of bread sailor Henry Young brought by yesterday morning. Local sailors have offered to crew their boat and have helped Nancy do the maintenance work she never had to do alone.
After the sailboat and powerboat shows ended, the city's harbormaster made space for the couple at City Dock so they can be within walking distance of shops and restaurants. A Naval Academy chaplain gave them a pass so they can drive onto the grounds to attend Sunday Mass.
The Annapolis Marriott Waterfront Hotel opened a room to them last month when Roger was having trouble moving, even though the hotel was booked. Chez Amis Bed and Breakfast has provided discounted rates or helped find other rooms in town for the steady stream of friends and relatives coming to visit.
"We have never felt this amount of caring support and generosity by strangers," Roger said.
Meanwhile, old friends have provided everything from the use of a car and a home in Davidsonville to a new custom-built bed for the boat's main cabin.
Others have offered emotional support. Linda Mowatt, the harbor administrator, lost her husband to cancer 20 years ago and has remarried. She has advised Nancy to do what may be the hardest job for a wife: to plan the funeral now, instead of waiting until she is grieving.
"Someone helped me, and I wanted to help her," Mowatt said.
Aboard Star Baby, the Langsdales make the most of each day. Roger, who spent the week of Thanksgiving in the hospital, talks about going to Michigan for Christmas if he is well enough to travel, but he said he would be happy to spend the holiday among new friends here.
"I don't feel while I'm sitting here talking to you that I am not going to make it through," he said with a wide, wistful smile. "I haven't given up on the chemo. I haven't given up on miracles."
December 07, 2002
Bahrs Landing
Looking out of the restaurant window. A view of our marina, The Shrewsbury River, Highlands/Sandy Hook Drawbridge, and The Atlantic Ocean.
The Perfect Storm is Remembered at Bahrs.
On the wall at Bahrs, there is poster sized copy of the only photo taken at sea of commercial fishing vessel "Andrea Gail". Lost at sea in 1991 and made famous in the book "The Perfect Storm" by author Sebastian Unger, later made into the popular movie. The photographer, Les Nagy a local clammer and former longliner commercial fisherman, took the photo in 1988, 400 miles out in the Grand Banks off the coast of Nova Scotia. Les remembers "the boat that I was working on when I shot the photo of the Andrea Gail. She was called the "F/V High Stakes" and was from Montauk, NY."
Les, who keeps his clam boat at Bahrs Landing, (Highlands N.J.) takes his camera with him to work which has mostly been as a commercial fisherman. He took courses (when in port) in photography when he was younger, graduated with honors, top in in my degree classification and was also on the deans list from a 2 yr school, OCC, with the hope of professional pursuits. Someone once told him: "Save all of your negatives because someday you never know when a picture might become valuable." He started out on commercial fishing boats out of Point Pleasant when he was 17. He worked on lobster boats, surf clam boats, draggers, and eventually longliners. Because the longliners chased the swordfish all over the world, Les began taking and luckily cataloging all of his negatives. From Nova Scotia to South Africa, he crewed aboard several boats and took some tremendous photos, many of which he has sold to friends and acquaintances.
In the Grand Banks it is common for other boats to help each other out with gear, fuel, tools, supplies, etc... . When the photo was taken the "Andrea Gail" had borrowed light stick lures from the boat that Les was working on. As they pulled away, not knowing the tragic future of the boat and crew in front of him, Les took one shot and forgot about it. Then this past summer of 2000, Les started to hear the hype on T.V. about the blockbuster movie. So he decided to take some time and see the documentary by CNBC. He was not sure but he thought that maybe he had a negative and sure enough he did. He called around to Glouster, Maine and found out that he had the only known photo at sea of the "Andrea Gail" he was contacted by CNBC and they used it in the documentary. It was too late for the movie and he never read the book! He did donate it to "The Perfect Storm Foundation Web Site". They raise money for the families of fisherman lost at sea.
December 01, 2002
Newport Beach, CA
This is an outdoor view of the Balboa Peninsula in Newport Beach, CA. This camera is located on the roof of my apartment on 17th street, just southeast of the Newport Pier. The camera faces west towards Newport pier. The boardwalk is usually visible in the lower right corner depending on how the wind is treating the camera and my access to the roof. The surf break next to the pier is called 'Secrets', but it isn't a secret. It picks up west swells and usually only breaks in the winter months.
Hello and welcome to the Balboa Peninsula in Newport Beach, CA. This webpage is the electronic descendant of the somewhat famous \\/\\/alkCam Page that graced this space for a few years. The current incarnation of the webpage allows virtual tourists to spend some time at the ocean or the bay